How I found out transmigration was a thing.

Chapter 21 - A good days shopping.

The houses on the outskirts of the village are no more than ramshackled timber huts, pieced together from discarded planks, tree branches, and rough stone.  Mortared together with mud, to form the most basic shelter. One hovel sits flush with another and the deep ruts cut into the side of the road are the only form of sanitation.  It hasn't rained for a while and the human waste sits packed thick and dry in the ruts.  In the hot months, this would be a nightmare.  The horrendous stench mixed with the sour smell of burning unseasoned wood makes me want to retch. This is not Kdramaworthy or what I hoped for, which was a pretty rustic setting.  This is poverty at its worst.  The sort of image I would see in a documentary in my time, and to my shame, block out because it was too ugly and confronting.

The odd person passes us, weighed down by an overloaded jige, probably heading for the market like us.  It's an incredibly depressing place.  The first images of my new reality make me want to run back to Kkoch Palace.

Adam, as if he read my mind or more likely, noticed I was turning green, handed me an embroidered sachet and a fan. I pressed the sachet to my nose and breathed in the strong scent of roses and sandalwood. It was overpowering but not unpleasant and gave me a break from the surrounding foul smells. I flicked the fan open and fanned vigorously, briefly enjoying a little clean air.

I leaned into Adam's shoulder. "You think of everything. What would I do without you?" I gave him a little playful nudge.  He blushed and moved away.

"Young Master it's nothing more than my duty to consider all your needs and be prepared." He was being annoyingly humble and obsequious, as usual.

"Be quiet and just accept my praise."  I gave him another shoulder nudge. This time he nudged me back, our differences momentarily forgotten.

With an undemanding companion and no particular place to be, I am happy to meander along and take everything in.  I tell myself I am uniquely blessed to have this experience, even if the stench was destroying my olfactory sensors.

Up ahead the road widens and I can see more people, carts, and the odd palanquin.  I'm reminded of home. Of how you could drive down row after row of boring ugly council flats and then cross the train line and suddenly find yourself in a posh area.  That's how I feel right now and I can sense that my daydreams/fantasies are about to become reality.   

This is more like it.  Looking at the picture-perfect historical drama backdrop, with the obligatory stone bridge over a tranquil stream, I instinctively speed up.  My fan is working overtime and Adam is hurrying to keep up.  

"Young master please walk in a dignified manner."  He whispers under his breath.  I ignore him.

Once over the bridge, the houses are grander.  Although they are not as large as Kkoch Palace, they are still impressive. They sit hidden behind high stone walls. I can see the tops of trees and the shiny tiles and curving roofs with their dragon finials.  Above each gate sits a plaque with their clan name, a single word that identifies the resident's social status in the Joseon hierarchy.

The gates of some of the houses are open and I can't help but stare at the beautiful timber buildings and the people moving about inside. There are washing lines full of bright clothes, onggi pots sitting in rows, and all the stuff of romance novels.  

The street feels like it has been reproduced from a Kdrama, rather than the other way around. It's peppered with cherry trees.  In spring they will bloom with delicate pink flowers and look out of place in this dry dust village.  All the setting needs is a pair of star-crossed lovers to come running from different ends of the street, meeting under one of the trees, as petals fall all around them, in slow motion of course.